Ch 31: The World’s Number One Resort

The small boat was called the Tanlang (Greedy Wolf), a small yacht worth around $500,000. There were four men and two women on board, five of whom were Chinese and one American. These people exuded an air of elegance and wore expensive clothes, clearly indicating their affluent backgrounds.

At that moment, everyone was staring at the endless ocean with gloomy expressions.

They were a group of Chinese second-generation wealthy individuals, all around their twenties, who enjoyed thrill-seeking and adventure. Their shared interests in activities like car racing and parkour no longer satisfied their ambitions. Two months ago, they decided to buy a small boat and embark on an ocean voyage. After studying marine knowledge, they hired an experienced sailing expert named Kyle and planned a direct adventure from the Solomon Islands to Mexico.

The entire voyage was expected to take about fifty days. Initially, they were all excited, but as the monotonous journey dragged on, they began to feel that sailing across the Pacific wasn’t as thrilling as they had imagined. However, nobody wanted to lose face, so apart from a few complaints from the two girls, no one suggested turning back.

After more than forty days at sea, they were only ten days away from finishing this dull journey. Everyone was silently counting the days when, last night, a big wave hit, submerging half of the Tanlang into the water. This was their first real crisis, and they were paralyzed with fear. Kyle, with his vast experience, managed to stabilize the boat after some intense maneuvering.

However, the navigation system and communication devices were damaged, and their phones and computers had all been swept into the sea. The seven of them were now stranded in the vast ocean.

All they had left were two waterproof bags. One contained a large amount of cash, and the other had some compressed biscuits. The boat’s fresh water supply was gone, and their food would only last them three days. If no one came to rescue them, all that money would be worthless.

After discussing for a while, they were at a loss. The two bikini-clad girls began to cry. They came from ordinary families and had only joined the trip hoping to charm one of the wealthy guys, but now their lives were at stake. The more they thought about it, the more upset they became, and their sobbing grew louder.

“Stop crying! It’s not like we’re not getting out of here,” snapped a man in a vest and beach shorts, his irritation clear. His name was Li Suhao, and his family owned a mid-tier daily chemical brand that was quite famous in China.

After Li Suhao’s outburst, the two girls were so scared they only dared to sob quietly. Among the group, Li Suhao was the most influential and had a proud personality. He hadn’t brought a female companion, and throughout the journey, the girls had been extra cautious around him.

“Suhao, Lulu and Xinxin are just scared…” said another guy, weakly attempting to mediate. Lulu was his current girlfriend.

“What should we do next?” Li Suhao ignored him and turned to Kyle. With thirty years of sailing experience, their safety was now in Kyle’s hands.

“We’re currently in the eastern Pacific, not far from Clipperton Island. There are many cruise ships around Clipperton. If we conserve our resources, we should definitely be able to wait for a rescue vessel,” Kyle said, trying to reassure everyone as he scanned the surroundings.

Although Kyle sounded confident, he wasn’t so sure himself. They had been 700 nautical miles from Clipperton yesterday, but after the storm, he wasn’t certain anymore. If only the navigation system hadn’t been damaged, they wouldn’t be in such dire straits now.

After Kyle’s words, the mood on the Tanlang grew tense. Although he mentioned cruise ships, they hadn’t seen any vessels since they left the Polynesian Islands five days ago. They all silently cursed their bad luck.

“We should—”

“Look! There’s an island ahead!” Just as Kyle was about to suggest they ration their food and wait for rescue, a voice suddenly called out from the deck, filled with excitement.

The voice belonged to Lulu, one of the girls who had been crying earlier. She had a slim waist and a heart-shaped face, the type of beauty that would easily earn her goddess status on social media. Now, her eyes were filled with disbelief as she spotted something on the horizon.

Upon hearing this, everyone hurried to the deck, suspecting that Lulu might have seen a mirage. Still, with survival hanging by a thread, no one wanted to give up any chance of hope.

They had enough food for three days, but with no fresh water and damaged filtration equipment, they knew they wouldn’t last more than two days without sufficient hydration.

Standing on the deck, they looked southeast and saw a faint, mist-covered island emerging on the horizon. The island appeared shrouded in sea fog, giving it an ethereal and dreamlike quality against the ocean’s backdrop.

It felt like a jolt to their souls—the desire to survive was rekindled.

“God bless, it really is an island…” Kyle muttered joyfully, peering through his binoculars after checking three times.

It wasn’t a mirage; it was a real island.

“We’re saved! We’re finally saved!”

“I want to go home! I miss the butter hot pot back home…”

Confirming that it wasn’t an illusion, the group erupted into cheers. Moments ago, they had been drowning in despair, fearing death at sea, but now they had discovered an island. While finding an island didn’t guarantee rescue, it certainly improved their odds compared to drifting in the open sea.

Although the island appeared close, it was still some distance away, and navigating there would take time.

For the next hour, everyone remained on the deck, glued to their binoculars, watching the island grow closer, fearing that it might vanish if they so much as blinked. They were anxious, but as time passed, the island became clearer and more distinct.

An hour later, the island’s full view materialized before them. It was a dark, foreboding island with deep brown tones, giving off a cold, eerie vibe. The shoreline was lined with jagged rocks. The small boat circled the coastline until they finally found a flat, shallow beach where they could land.

…

“Should we go ashore?”

They looked at the island, hesitant. The central Pacific has a relatively small temperature difference throughout the year, with abundant rainfall, like the Solomon Islands and Clipperton—typical island climates with lush vegetation and rich resources. But this island was barren, with nothing but brown dirt everywhere.

They were unsure of what to do.

“There seem to be three shipping containers ahead, which suggests someone’s been here. The security around the Pacific islands can be sketchy, so we should all be very cautious,” Kyle advised after scanning the area with his binoculars. Due to blind spots, he could only see the red, yellow, and blue containers, which stood out starkly on the brown beach like beacons.

The presence of containers suggested people had been here before.

With limited fuel and fresh water, continuing to sail was a death sentence. Now, their only option was to seek help or resources on the island.

Exchanging glances, everyone began to disembark one by one.

The two women clung to their boyfriends. All their spare clothes had been washed away, leaving them with only bikinis. Without the large bath towels from the captain’s quarters, they would have caught colds by now.

In fact, after the past two harrowing days, they were on the brink of illness. They were running purely on survival instinct.

“The containers are open… Hey, what’s this?” As they approached the nearest container, they found it filled with stacks of woven bags.

“Bean straw, hay, cornmeal…” The writing on the bags varied, but it was clear to them—this was animal feed.

“I’m going to take a closer look.” Seeing no one around, Li Suhao cautiously walked closer. The Pacific coast of Mexico was notorious for drug cartels, and the islands were often ideal hideouts for these criminals. Judging by the amount of animal feed, the group began to suspect something sinister might be going on.

Li Suhao forcefully tore open the nearest woven bag…

“It really is feed.” Inside, it was filled with chaff-like material, not white powder. They spread the feed out and opened several more bags, but still no sign of white powder.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, it wasn’t a drug cartel stash. However, the fact that three containers were packed full of animal feed still felt strange.

They looked around and started walking toward the nearest foothill. Li Suhao estimated that the distance from here to the foot of the mountain was about a kilometer.

“Baa, baa—”

“Cheep—”

As they got closer, they heard a series of strange sounds coming from ahead. After walking a few more steps, the scene before them opened up.

On the barren land, nearly a hundred milky-white sheep wandered around aimlessly. A group of colorful chickens, about 15 centimeters tall, were flapping their wings and pecking at each other. Some bold chickens even perched on the heads of the sheep, and the sheep simply let out a few soft “baa”s without reacting much.

The group was stunned by the sight. They had never farmed, but they weren’t clueless. Common knowledge told them that sheep needed grass and water to survive.

And yet, here on this bizarre terrain, the sheep seemed to be living quite casually.

“Xin Xin, didn’t your grandfather used to farm? Is this how they raise sheep?” a slightly chubby rich kid nudged his girlfriend.

“They did graze the sheep in the mountains, but not like this…” Xin Xin replied, confused.

Xin Xin came from a farming family, and her grandfather had tended sheep his whole life. Her wealthy boyfriend, Zhao Kuan, had heard her talk about her rustic upbringing when they first started dating. She used those stories to portray herself as down-to-earth, proudly sharing her experiences of working in the countryside.

As a child, Xin Xin had only helped her grandfather with the sheep twice. In her memory, the sheep in books were always depicted as gentle and adorable, but in reality, they were dirty, rolling in the mud, and constantly dropping manure as they walked.

After two tries, Xin Xin had stopped going.

In her mind, sheep had always been dirty and aggressive. But now… the little white sheep in front of her were pristine, with big, bewildered eyes that looked like they belonged in a cartoon. She instantly fell in love with them at first sight.

She wanted to reach out and pet one, but before she could make a move, the flock of sheep started circling around the group. The sheep curiously glanced at them and then… went back to their own business.

“We’re starving. Forget it. Let’s catch a chicken and cook it!”

Another rich kid, named Sun Lei, had his eyes on the colorful chickens from the start. Seeing that neither the sheep nor the chickens posed any threat, Sun Lei rushed toward one of the chickens. These colorful chickens looked similar to Chinese mottled chickens, and after days of being adrift at sea, Sun Lei was eager for a proper meal.

“Awwoooo—”

Sun Lei pounced forward, but before the little colorful chicken could react, a yellow blur suddenly shot towards him. Sun Lei quickly retreated, just in time, as a yellow mutt leaped in front of him, its body slightly arched, baring its teeth menacingly.

“Where did this dog come from?” Sun Lei was startled. If he had been a second slower, his hand would have gotten scratched.

How did he not notice this dog earlier?

The mutt kept a close watch on them, growling lowly. Finally, it barked at the sheep and chickens.

The flock and chickens, realizing what was happening, quickly bolted toward the mountainside. In no time, they had put about 200 meters between themselves and Li Suhao’s group.

Once the animals had reached a safe distance, the mutt turned back, still baring its teeth at the group.

Sun Lei gave a nervous chuckle, feeling a bit shaken.

The mutt was only about 30 centimeters tall, probably just entering its growth phase. It looked like an ordinary dog, so at first, Sun Lei hadn’t thought much of it. But after seeing its sharp instincts and quick reflexes, it was clearly not to be underestimated.

Sun Lei had owned many dogs, including fierce breeds like Tosa, Bull Terriers, and Rottweilers. Although this mutt might not be stronger than those dogs, its determined gaze and aggressive demeanor gave Sun Lei the feeling that if he made another move, the mutt would definitely attack him.

This wasn’t just a mutt; it might as well have been a disguised Rottweiler!

“I won’t eat the chicken…” Sun Lei, feeling helpless, tried to reason with the dog.

The mutt ignored him, continuing to bare its teeth.

As Sun Lei cautiously stepped back, keeping an eye on the dog’s reactions, the others, equally intimidated, followed suit.

A minute later, they had retreated to about 50 meters away.

Glancing back, they saw the mutt had relaxed its stance but was still watching them closely.

Everyone thought to themselves: This dog is terrifying.

“It’s likely being cared for by someone,” said Kyle, analyzing the scene calmly. He had noticed that one of the sheep had a red ribbon tied around its horn, and, along with the containers on the beach, it was clear that these containers were filled with sheep feed.

Not drugs.

“So, where do we go now?” they asked each other, uncertain.

From the details—the sheep, chickens, and the dog—it was clear they were being taken care of by someone. But the thought of someone going to such lengths, keeping these animals in pristine condition, transporting them with large amounts of feed across the ocean, seemed even more unusual.

Raising sheep on a barren island like this? The owner must really know what they’re doing.

“Let’s head up the mountain,” Kyle suggested, pointing to the nearby peak after scanning the surroundings. He had noticed footprints near the foot of the mountain, leading upwards.

They only had compressed biscuits left, with no water. If they wanted to find food or help, their best bet was to follow the trail and hope to find the island’s inhabitants.

The ocean was dangerous, and what lay on the other side of the mountain was unknown. Faced with these two options, the group decided to take their chances and climb. It was now nearing 4 p.m., and the sun was beginning to set.

The four men, dressed in shorts and t-shirts, found it easier to navigate, but Lulu and Xin Xin, dressed in bikinis and flip-flops, were struggling. Their attire was fine for sunbathing on the boat, but it made climbing a mountain a real challenge.

They could have gone back to the boat, but with no fresh water and the risk of being left behind, their chances of survival were slim. The presence of sheep suggested there was water on the island, so sticking with the group was their best option.

Lulu and Xin Xin’s feet became blistered from the sharp rocks, but neither of them gave up. In the face of survival, people’s potential is boundless.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️